Marlins HR leader Brian Anderson likely done for season after fracturing left hand

The last player the Miami Marlins could afford to lose, Brian Anderson is likely done for the season after fracturing his left hand in Friday night’s win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

The right fielder, who leads Miami in nearly every statistical category, took a 93.9 mph fastball from Vince Velasquez off his left hand with the bases loaded in the third inning. Anderson immediately grimaced in pain and was quickly examined by medical personnel. While he stayed in the game, he was replaced following the inning.

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X-rays revealed Anderson suffered a fractured fifth left metacarpal, which usually comes with a six-week recovery time. With six weeks left in the season, Anderson said his season is likely over.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Anderson said. "I want to be in there every single day, but at the end of the day you’re going to have guys step up.

“I’m going to see the hand specialist on Monday and figure out more information. I know that will probably be it this season for me. It’s nothing you want to hear, but it’s baseball and things like this happen.”

The injury came in the midst of a thrilling comeback in which Miami overcame a 7-0 deficit to win, 19-11. With the bases loaded in Friday night’s game, Anderson’s 14th HBP of the season drove in a run, sparking the Marlins’ wild seven-run inning to tie the game, 7-7. The play resulted in Anderson’s 65th RBI of the year, which surpassed last season’s rookie total.

Anderson is seventh in the National League with 14 hit by pitches this season. As a rookie, he was plunked 16 times.

“Today was a tough day for me, but I keep looking at it like it was a great day for our team,” Anderson said. “The way that we fought today, that helped me out a lot.”

In his second full MLB season, Anderson has been Miami’s top player, hitting .261/.340/.468 (113 wRC+) with a team-leading 20 home runs, 33 doubles and 65 RBI. Anderson also leads the team in WAR with a 3.8 mark.

With six weeks left in the season, Anderson already had the 33rd best single-season WAR total in Marlins history and would’ve had a chance to finish the season somewhere in the top 15.

In addition to his bat, the 26-year-old’s defensive versatility has also been a major asset. Juggling between third base (586 2/3 innings) and right field (454 2/3 innings), Anderson has established himself as a premium defender at both positions.

After finishing fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting last season, Anderson took a big step forward in his sophomore campaign, showing he’s a core piece of the Marlins’ rebuild moving forward.

“I came out a little slow out of the gate,” Anderson said. “But for me, the takeaway was I was able to turn the season around and be productive. I had a good second half until this happened. For me, it’s just a matter of continuing to get better and be more consistent.

"Now, it’s going to be more of — how can I help these guys who are still here putting in the work and still grinding. For me, it’s going to be more of a clubhouse thing where I’m working on whatever I can do to help these guys out whenever I am here and just trying to get healthy and get ready for next season.